Capstan Lathes &

Turnet Lathes
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Capstan lathes are mainly used for bar work, whereas turret lathes
are applicable for large work in the form of castings and forgings .
In a capstan or ram-type lathe, the hexagon turret is mounted on a
slide that moves longitudinally in a stationary saddle Figure (a. !uring
setup of the machine, the saddle is positioned along the bed to give the
shortest possible stroke for the "ob. #he advantage of the capstan lathe is
that the operator has less mass to move, resulting in easier and faster
handling. #he disadvantage is that the hexagonal turret slide is fed
forward such that the overhang is increased, resulting in the defl ection of
the ram slide, especially at the extreme of its position, which produces
taper and reduces accuracy.
In the turret or saddle-type lathe, the turret is mounted directly
upon a movable saddle, furnished with both hand and power longitudinal
feed Figure (b. #his machine is designed for machining chuck work, in
addition to bar work. $wing to the volume of the swarf produced, the
guideways of the machine bed are fl ame-hardened and provided with
covers that protect the sliding surfaces. #he bed must be designed to
allow free and rapid escape of swarf and coolant.
%.a.&chematic configuration of capstan lathe
%.b.&chematic configuration of turret lathe.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CAPSTAN AND TURRET LATHES ,
' #urret lathes are relatively more robust and heavy duty machines
' Capstan lathes generally deal with short or long rod type blanks
held in collet, whereas turret lathes mostly work on chucking type "obs
held in the (uick acting chucks
' In capstan lathe, the turret travels with limited stroke length
within a saddle type guide block, called auxiliary bed, which is clamped
on the main bed as indicated in Fig. %.a., whereas in turret lathe, the
heavy turret being mounted on the saddle which directly slides with
larger stroke length on the main bed as indicated in Fig. %.b .
' $ne additional guide rod or pilot bar is provided on the headstock
of the turret lathes as shown in Fig. %.b., to ensure rigid axial travel of the
turret head
' )xternal screw threads are cut in capstan lathe, if re(uired, using
a self opening die being mounted in one face of the turret, whereas in
turret lathes external threads are generally cut, if re(uired, by a single
point or multipoint chasing tool being mounted on the front slide and
moved by a short leadscrew and a swing type half nut .
PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS OF CAPSTAN AND TURRET LATHES
* ram or turret lathe has essentially the same elements as an engine
lathe, with additional elements like hexagonal turrets and front and rear
cross slides. +owever, the controls used are more complex. #he motor is
more powerful to enable the machine to perform overlapped cuts. #he
elements of a standard turret and capstan lathe are described in the
following sections.
1- HEADSTOCK AND SPINDLE ASSEMBLY
#he headstock is heavier in construction than that of the engine
lathe with a wider range of speeds. * typical layout from +einemann
,achine #ool -orks-&chwar.wald is shown in Figure /. ,ounting of
the free-running gears should be noted, in addition to the use of roller
bearings with a taper bore for the spindle. #he multidisk clutch drive is
widely used in con"unction with constant mesh gearing. #he use of these
clutches provides rapid acceleration and the ability to sustain hightor(ue
loads (0rowne, 1234. In modern machines, pole-changing motors offer
four speeds, which simplify the design of the gearbox and limit its si.e.
$ne of the chief characteristics of the turret headstock is the provision for
rapid stopping and starting, and for speed changing through speed
preselectors.
#hrough these measures, the minimum loss of time is reali.ed.
-hen components are turned from bar stock fed through the hollow
spindle of the machine, a collect chuck is used. #he bar is generally of
round or hexagonal shape. Collect chucks may be pneumatically or hand-
operated. * sectional view of the hand-operated collet chuck is shown in
Figure 5 (+. -. -ard and Co. 6td.. -hen the handle shown in
Figure 5.a is moved to the close position, the sliding sleeve (*, Figure
5.b rotates and is therefore forced to move to the left, as the groove
accommodating pads (0 are cut on a helix. Conse(uently, the sleeve
forces the ball operating sleeve (C to the left, which causes the right-
hand (7+ ring of balls held in the ball cage (! to move radially inward.
#his closes the sliding cone sleeve () and hence the collet.
,oving the lever in the opposite direction reverses the action and the left-
hand (6+ ring of balls (! moves the sleeve () to release the collet. In
the shown position, the collet is closed. #he machine spindle (+ and the
housing (8 are bolted to the headstock. #he knurled cap (F ad"usts the
collet for variations of the machined bar si.e. 0y a slight modifi cation,
the design can be altered such that the sliding sleeve can be actuated
pneumatically to reduce the operator9s fatigue and reduce the chucking
time.

/. #ypical headstock and spindle assembly of a turret lathe.
5. +and-operated collet chuck: (a general view and (b sectional view.
4. Cross slide and s(uare turret tool posts.
2- CARRIAGE/CROSS-SLIDE UNIT
#he cross-slide unit on which the tools are mounted for facing,
forming, recessing, knurling, and cutting off is made of four principal
parts, namely, the cross slide, the s(uare turret, the carriage, and the
apron Figure 4. #he rear and front s(uare turrets are mounted on the top
of the cross slide. )ach turret is capable of holding four tools ready for
use. If additional tools are re(uired, they are set up in se(uence and can
be (uickly indexed and locked in correct chucking position.
#he slide is provided with a positive stop to affect diametrical
control of the depth of the cut. !ogs on the side of the cross slide engage
these stops to regulate the cross-slide travel.
#he carriage has two hand wheels for manual longitudinal and
cross feed. In some machines, besides hand feed, a power feed (rapid or
slow can be engaged by a lever.
3- HEXAGONAL TURRET
#he hexagonal turret is carried on a saddle and is intended for
holding and bringing the tools in a forward feed movement. $n the turret-
type, each face is provided with four tapped holes to accommodate
screws for holding fl anged holders and attachments in which tools are
clamped. $n capstan lathes, the turret may be circular; it has also six
holes for accommodating shanked tool holders that are normally used for
small works that do not need to be held in a flat face.
4- CROSS-SLIDING HEXAGONAL TURRET
&ometimes, the hexagonal turret has a cross-sliding ability to feed
in four directions. #his characteristic adds greatly to the versatility of the
turret lathe on certain diffi cult types of work. #his unit is used only on
the larger si.e turret lathe of the saddle-type construction. #he mobility of
this turret makes it especially adaptable to small-lot work where multiple
inner surfaces can be machined using a minimum of (uickly set up
cutters (#ool )ngineers +andbook, 1242.
<oing beyond the small production lots, a cross-sliding turret
offers other advantages on certain types of work. For example, it provides
the possibility of machining large-diameter work, which prohibits the use
of s(uare turret cross slides. #he graduated dial for the cross motion of
the hexagonal turret enhances the accuracy and makes it the same as the
s(uare turret on the cross slides.